Shaft-coupling.



W. J. PRICE. SHAFT COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19. 1914.

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SHAFT COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 19H.

1,]. 58,84Q. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WILLIAM JOHN PRICE, OF DIXON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T E J. STECKLE,

OF DIXON, ILLINOIS.

SHAFT-COUPLING.

v To all whom it may concern and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates broadly to improvements in shaft couplings and moreparticularly to those designed for coupling the various sections of conveyer shafts, such for instance, as those used. in' cement mills. These conveyers range, in length, from fifty to three hundred feet or over and it has been found that it is practically imposslble to provide unbreakable joints for connecting the various sections of the shaft.

Numerous attempts have been made to pedient to provide simple and efiicient'means whereby a broken coupling may be quickly and easily replaced With the common types of conveyers now used, the breaking of the coupling necessitates. the dismantling of the entire shaft' from the break to one end thereof.

It is to provide a simple form of coupling, which maybe readily replaced without dismantling the entire shaft, that I have provided the construction hereinafter descrlbed and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a'pair of conveyor sections showing the application of my invention in connecting the shafts there'- of; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the parts seen in Fig. 1; Figs. 3-and 4 are transverse sections taken on the planes Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed November 19, 1914. Serial No. 873,045.

the gudgeons retracted; and Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this appllcation, a pair of hollow conveyor shaft sections 1 is shown, said sections being Surrounded by spiral conveying webs 2 which are designed to rotate within a trough (not shown). The adjacent ends of the sections 1 are slotted longitudinally as seen at 3 and are provided with internal bushings 4: whlch are slotted at 3, said last named slots registering with the slots 3 as shown.v

Mounted to slide longitudinally within the bushingsl are cylindrical gudgeons 5 whose outer ends are reduced and squared as seen at 6, said squared ends constituting clutch 7 members which project into a polygonal opening 7 in a sectional journal 8 (see Figs. 2 and 3) or int0-a solid journal 8' (see Figs. 6 and 7).

When a sectional journal 8 is provided, the adjacent squared ends 6 are grooved transversely as seen at 9, in order to allow a clamping screw 10 to pass through the two sections of the journal, thereby retaining the same in active position. When a solid j ournal is employed, however, the gudgeons need not necessarily be grooved, although one form is readily adaptable to either type of journal.

It may here be explained that the opposite ends of the opening 7 constitute combined coupling and clutch members which coact with the squared ends 6, the latter likewise constituting coupling and clutch elements. As shown in, various figures of the drawings, the journals 8 and 8' are revolubly mounted in bearings which may be sectional as'seen at 11 in Figs. 2 and 3, or may be of solid construction as shown at 11' in Figs.

6 and 7, this being an unimportant feature.

The bearings 11- or 11', as the case may be, are clamped in contact wlth V-shaped hang- 7 ers 12 by yokes 13 as seen in Figs. 3 and these hangers being designed for attachment to the above-mentioned trough, as is common with devices of this character.

With the partsas above described, the gudgeons' are held against inward movement within the bushings 4 by clamping bolts 14:. 'Whenin this position, 'the adjacent ends of said gudgeons are spaced as seen in the drawings, thereby allowing expansion of the ends of the conveyer sectionsQwhile the ends of the shafts 1 and bushings 4 are spaced from the ends of the bearings and hangers, for the same purpose. When -now it becomes necessary to remove a journal or a gudgeon, the bolts securing the latter are first removed, after which a coldchisel or any appropriate tool iS'lIlsert'ed through certain of the alined slots 3 and 3, said chisel being employed together with 'a hammer or mallet for retracting the gudgeon within its bushing 4. The shaft section 1 carrylng the retracted gudgeon, I

therebyallowing the be removed and replaced, if necesmay now 'be raised, latter'to sary, and likewise allowing the journal 10 to be removed and replaced.

- sectional journals and bearings are emj that the above de- It'will be understood scribed operation need not take-place when ployed', since the upper sections of these .easier parts may beremoved. It is a considerably tion by retracting the .gudgeon than'by removing the y'okes and the upper sections-of i 4 said journals and bearings. The sliding 'gudgeon structure therefore becomes advantageous with numerous forms of journals and bearings. It. will be readlly 'understood that onehalf of the connection, above described,

might well be employed for connecting the drlving wheel of the conveyer with the adjacent shaft section. 'In order to cover this use, I have termed the journal 8 01- 8 a driven member in. the claims, as it is in reali Particular attention is directed to the fact that a coupling constructed as above setforth will readily compensate for expansion and contraction of the various shaft sections, since the opposite ends ofthesesections, as well as the bushings 4 are. spaced from the ends of the bearings andjour: -nals. Expansion and contractlon' are also catered to, by spacing the walls of the grooves 9 suitable distances from the screws 10, and by allowing the reducedends 6 of the gudgeons sary expansion and contraction, is essential,

connection with the accompanying especially when the couplings are provided in a conveyer of considerable length.

From the foregoing description, taken in o n ings, 1t Wlll. beseen that I have provided a comparatively simple structure for carry mg out the ob ects of the invention yet that for bers slidably engaging with a bearing and a.

ably into the opemng-th task, however, to repair the connecand releasable means for holding geons 'tion of a gudgeon 5. The combination with a bearing and. a' .j ournal' revolubly mounted 5 to slide within the journals.- Thls constructlon, for allowing the necespaired by such simplicity.

I claim:

the efliciency of the device will not be im- 1. The combination with 'a bearing and 'a ends of said journal and alined therewith,

gudgeons slidable in said hollow shaft sections and engaged with those of the journal, and means wherebythe gudgeons may be re lea'sably heldagainst 4. The combination of hollow shaft sections-adjace t the op oslte endsof saidjournal, gudgeons sli'da le in said sections and having clutch members slidably g with .a bearingand avjournal rotatably mounted therein; and having clutch members on its opposite ends,

having clutch members slidably engaged-with those of the journal, Y

s gadagainst movement, sald shaft sections being slotted to provide fin the msertoo therein and hav- 'ing a polygonal opening at its center, of

ends of said journal, gudg saidsections and having reduced polygonal .hollow shaft sections adjacent the opposite eons slidable in1Q5 ends projecting into said opening, and releasable means for holding said gudgeons' against movement, said shaft sections being slotted to provide for the insertion of a gudgeon shifting tool.

6.- The combination with a driven clutch element, of .a non-shifta ble shaft alined therewith, a

with. the aforesaid clutch element,--free to -slide endwise therefrom, and serving asthe' sole means of supporting one I end of said shaft.

- 7. The combination with a. driven member a polygonal opening, of a non-slnfthaving able shaft with said opening", apolygonal longitudinally shiftable clutch ele-' ment carried by the shaft, disposed inand free to slide endwise from said opening, and acting as the sole means of supporting one end of said shaft;

longitudinally shiftableclutch member carried by s'aid'shaft and engaged 8. The combination with a. driven member 1,15e,eee 1 having a polygonal opening, of a hollow my hand in presence of two subscribing witshaft adjacenthsaiid opgnlilng, a. gudgelon slidi' nesses'. able in said. s .a is an aving a po ygona end. disposed in said opening, and free to WILLIAM JOHN C 5 slide endwise therefrom means wherebysaid Witnesses:

gudgeon' may be locked against sliding. JAMES F. HALEY, In testimony whereof I havehereunto seti E. M. CONLEY. 

